Due to advances in computing technology, businesses today are able to operate more efficiently when compared to substantially similar businesses only a few years ago. For example, networking enables employees of a company to communicate instantaneously by email, quickly transfer data files to disparate employees, manipulate data files, share data relevant to a project to reduce duplications in work product, etc. Furthermore, advancements in technology have enabled factory applications to become partially or completely automated. For instance, operations that once required workers to put themselves proximate to heavy machinery and other various hazardous conditions can now be completed at a safe distance therefrom.
Further, imperfections associated with human action have been minimized through employment of highly precise machines. Many of these factory devices supply data related to manufacturing to databases that are accessible by system/process/project managers on a factory floor. For instance, sensors and associated software can detect a number of instances that a particular machine has completed an operation given a defined amount of time. Further, data from sensors can be delivered to a processing unit relating to system alarms. Thus, a factory automation system can review collected data and automatically and/or semi-automatically schedule maintenance of a device, replacement of a device, drive actuators, respond to data in real-time, and other various procedures that relate to automating a process.
To effectuate suitable industrial automation, many enterprises utilize a plurality of disparate networks designed for industrial automation to communicate data between components within an industrial setting. In more detail, networking protocols conventionally employed for personal computers in an office or home environment are often insufficient for an industrial setting, as real-time receipt and processing of data is typically required in industrial settings. Accordingly, various protocols for industrial environments have been designed for utilization in industrial environments, and application layer protocols have also been designed thereon to enable communication of data across disparate industrial protocols.
While various technical advancements have been made with respect to generating and transferring data over disparate industrial protocols, interpreting and utilizing such data remains a difficult and tedious task. For example, standards have been introduced to assist in classification of data. More particularly, a first set of bits can indicate class, a second set of bits can indicate instance, a third set of bits can indicate a particular attribute, and a fourth set of bits can indicate a service associated with the data. The data, however, cannot be interpreted without extensive knowledge of the standard. Thus, an individual without immediate access to the standard cannot review data associated with a device and determine meaning of such data, much less utilize the data for a desired application. Furthermore, many standards associated with industrial data include optional attributes—thus, if a particular attribute is not desired by a first developer, such developer may place zeros at the point within a byte stream associated with the attribute. A second developer may, however, simply skip such portion within the byte stream. Therefore, it can be discerned that it can be nearly impossible to determine meaning of data associated with an industrial control device without documentation such as source code or design specifications for each application object version of interest.